The rugged southwest for scattering ashes

Photo credit: NPS/Eric Leonard

For those of you that love "Lonesome Dove" and Texas Rangers, a rugged southwest flavor is a great choice. I wouldn't ask my spirit whisperer to drag my body 3000 miles back to Texas but ashes are much easier to carry. A good place to start looking is the Big Bend National Park. In this park you can pick a 5000 ft peak or down along the Rio Grande river. This is still wild country with mountain lions, black bears, and javelina roaming the park. Scorpions, cactus, and other southwest features are in abundance here. So, if the wild west of the United States draws your spirit then here shall you lie.

Spirit Whisperer:
Prepare your spirit whisperer for some rugged country. As I talked about before, there are numerous ways to get yourself into trouble in the Southwest's open country. From a lack of water to sleeping with the rattlesnakes and scorpions, be sure and select an experienced hiker if you want them to take your ashes far off trail.

Wake:
If you are in Texas, you need to have an open fire and prepare some BBQ. Texas has its own style sauce so be sure and get some authentic Texas BBQ sauce. Tequila is another part of a Southwestern celebration. You can't go wrong by having Margaritas at your wake. If you are really adventurous have your guests toast you with some Mescal. Either way, a wake in the southwest should be out under the clear blue sky.

Memorial:
This is a National Park so you need to find somewhere else to place your memorial. There are good online memorial sites that anyone can visit. If you want something more permanent, then try a memorial park where you can purchase a plaque or brick. Have your spirit whisperer save a small part of your ashes to place in an urn for the memorial park if you wish. Other memorials include some nice southwestern jewelry for your loved ones to wear in memory of you.